Patents by Inventor Leslie Eugene Leeke

Leslie Eugene Leeke has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 8020269
    Abstract: An apparatus enables a turbine nozzle, including at least two turbine nozzle singlets to be fabricated. Each singlet includes inner and outer bands and a vane extending therebetween. The vane also includes first and second sidewalls coupled together at a leading edge and a trailing edge. The apparatus comprises a fixture, and at least two support members extending from the fixture. Each support member has first and second abutment surfaces, wherein a first of the at least two support members contacts at least one of the leading and trailing edges of a first of the vanes. At least two locating features extend from the fixture, wherein a first of the locating features contacts one of the first and second sidewalls of the first vane. At least two biasing members are coupled to the fixture, wherein a first of the biasing members biases the first vane against the first locating feature.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 2, 2008
    Date of Patent: September 20, 2011
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Michael Beverley, Leslie Eugene Leeke, Jr.
  • Patent number: 7976281
    Abstract: A rotor blade assembly includes a shank, an airfoil that is formed integrally with the shank, and a removable platform coupled between said shank and said airfoil via a friction fit. A method of assembling a gas turbine engine rotor blade assembly that includes a removable platform, and a gas turbine engine rotor assembly including the removable platform are also described herein.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 15, 2007
    Date of Patent: July 12, 2011
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Sean Robert Keith, Michael Joseph Danowski, Leslie Eugene Leeke, Jr.
  • Patent number: 7878763
    Abstract: A removable rotor blade platform includes a first platform leg, a second platform leg, and a platform portion coupled to the first and second platform legs. The first platform leg is configured to be retained by a first retainer coupled to a first rotor blade, and the second platform leg is configured to be retained by a second retainer coupled to a second adjacent rotor blade. A method of assembling a blade assembly that includes a removable platform, a rotor assembly including the removable platform, and a gas turbine engine assembly including the removable platform, are also described herein.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 15, 2007
    Date of Patent: February 1, 2011
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Sean Robert Keith, Michael Joseph Danowski, Leslie Eugene Leeke, Jr.
  • Publication number: 20100281689
    Abstract: An apparatus enables a turbine nozzle, including at least two turbine nozzle singlets to be fabricated. Each singlet includes inner and outer bands and a vane extending therebetween. The vane also includes first and second sidewalls coupled together at a leading edge and a trailing edge. The apparatus comprises a fixture, and at least two support members extending from the fixture. Each support member has first and second abutment surfaces, wherein a first of the at least two support members contacts at least one of the leading and trailing edges of a first of the vanes. At least two locating features extend from the fixture, wherein a first of the locating features contacts one of the first and second sidewalls of the first vane. At least two biasing members are coupled to the fixture, wherein a first of the biasing members biases the first vane against the first locating feature.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 2, 2008
    Publication date: November 11, 2010
    Inventors: Michael Beverley, Leslie Eugene Leeke, JR.
  • Patent number: 7497663
    Abstract: An airfoil for a rotor blade including an uncoated profile substantially in accordance with Cartesian coordinate values of X, Y and Z to facilitate balancing performance and durability of the rotor blade and to facilitate improving an operating efficiency of a high-pressure turbine is provided. The profile is carried only to four decimal places, wherein Y represents a distance from a platform on which the airfoil is mounted, and X and Z are coordinates defining the profile at each distance Y from the platform.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 26, 2006
    Date of Patent: March 3, 2009
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Ronald Eugene McRae, Jr., Brian David Keith, Andrew Edward Obermeyer, Leslie Eugene Leeke
  • Publication number: 20080286109
    Abstract: A rotor blade assembly includes a shank, an airfoil that is formed integrally with the shank, and a removable platform coupled between said shank and said airfoil via a friction fit. A method of assembling a gas turbine engine rotor blade assembly that includes a removable platform, and a gas turbine engine rotor assembly including the removable platform are also described herein.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 15, 2007
    Publication date: November 20, 2008
    Inventors: Sean Robert Keith, Michael Joseph Danowski, Leslie Eugene Leeke, JR.
  • Publication number: 20080286106
    Abstract: A removable rotor blade platform includes a first platform leg, a second platform leg, and a platform portion coupled to the first and second platform legs. The first platform leg is configured to be retained by a first retainer coupled to a first rotor blade, and the second platform leg is configured to be retained by a second retainer coupled to a second adjacent rotor blade. A method of assembling a blade assembly that includes a removable platform, a rotor assembly including the removable platform, and a gas turbine engine assembly including the removable platform, are also described herein.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 15, 2007
    Publication date: November 20, 2008
    Inventors: Sean Robert Keith, Michael Joseph Danowski, Leslie Eugene Leeke, JR.
  • Publication number: 20080101959
    Abstract: An airfoil for a rotor blade including an uncoated profile substantially in accordance with Cartesian coordinate values of X, Y and Z to facilitate balancing performance and durability of the rotor blade and to facilitate improving an operating efficiency of a high-pressure turbine is provided. The profile is carried only to four decimal places, wherein Y represents a distance from a platform on which the airfoil is mounted, and X and Z are coordinates defining the profile at each distance Y from the platform.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 26, 2006
    Publication date: May 1, 2008
    Inventors: Ronald Eugene McRae, Brian David Keith, Andrew Edward Obermeyer, Leslie Eugene Leeke
  • Patent number: 7334306
    Abstract: An apparatus enables a turbine nozzle, including at least two turbine nozzle singlets to be fabricated. Each singlet includes inner and outer bands and a vane extending therebetween. The vane also includes first and second sidewalls coupled together at a leading edge and a trailing edge. The apparatus comprises a fixture, and at least two support members extending from the fixture. Each support member has first and second abutment surfaces, wherein a first of the at least two support members contacts at least one of the leading and trailing edges of a first of the vanes. At least two locating features extend from the fixture, wherein a first of the locating features contacts one of the first and second sidewalls of the first vane. At least two biasing members are coupled to the fixture, wherein a first of the biasing members biases the first vane against the first locating feature.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 2, 2004
    Date of Patent: February 26, 2008
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Michael Beverley, Leslie Eugene Leeke, Jr.
  • Patent number: 7290986
    Abstract: An airfoil for a gas turbine engine includes a root, a tip, a leading edge, a trailing edge, and opposed pressure and suction sidewalls extending generally along a radial axis. The airfoil includes a tip cap extending between the pressure and suction sidewalls; and spaced-apart suction-side and pressure-side tip walls extending radially outward from the tip cap to define a tip cavity therebetween. The pressure-side tip wall includes a continuously concave curved arcuate portion, at least a section of which extends circumferentially outward from a radial axis of the airfoil.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 9, 2005
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2007
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Mark Edward Stegemiller, Chander Prakash, Leslie Eugene Leeke, Kevin Samuel Klasing, Ching-Pang Lee
  • Patent number: 7198467
    Abstract: A method for fabricating a turbine rotor blade includes casting a turbine rotor blade including a dovetail, a platform having an outer surface, an inner surface, and a cast-in plenum defined between the outer surface and the inner surface, and an airfoil, and forming a plurality of openings between the platform inner surface and the platform outer surface to facilitate cooling an exterior surface of the platform.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 30, 2004
    Date of Patent: April 3, 2007
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Sean Robert Keith, Michael Joseph Danowski, Leslie Eugene Leeke, Jr.
  • Patent number: 7144215
    Abstract: A method for fabricating a turbine rotor blade includes casting a turbine rotor blade including a dovetail, a platform having an outer surface, an inner surface, and a cast-in plenum defined between the outer surface and the inner surface, and an airfoil, and forming a plurality of openings between the platform inner surface and the platform outer surface to facilitate cooling an exterior surface of the platform.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 30, 2004
    Date of Patent: December 5, 2006
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Sean Robert Keith, Michael Joseph Danowski, Leslie Eugene Leeke, Jr.
  • Patent number: 7131817
    Abstract: A method for fabricating a rotor blade includes casting the turbine rotor blade to include a shank, and a platform having an upper surface and a lower surface, and coupling a first component to the rotor blade such that a first substantially hollow plenum is defined between the first component, the shank, and the platform lower surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 30, 2004
    Date of Patent: November 7, 2006
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Sean Robert Keith, Michael Joseph Danowski, Leslie Eugene Leeke, Jr.
  • Patent number: 6715988
    Abstract: A hollow cooled turbine airfoil is provided having pressure and suction side walls and a plurality of trailing edge cooling passages that feed cooling air bleed slots at the trailing edge. The suction side wall has a selectively reduced thickness, which allows shortened trailing edge slots, improving trailing edge cooling.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 18, 2002
    Date of Patent: April 6, 2004
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Leslie Eugene Leeke, Sean Robert Keith, Ronald Eugene Mc Rae, Jr., Richard William Albrecht, Jr., David Alan Frey
  • Patent number: 6672832
    Abstract: A turbine includes a row of blades each having an integral airfoil, platform, and dovetail. Each platform has opposite first and second side edges corresponding with the opposite pressure and suction sides of the airfoil. The platform first side edge is radially higher than the platform second side edge continuously between opposite forward and aft edges of the platform. In this way, adjacent platforms define a down step therebetween for preventing obstruction of combustion gases flowable downstream thereover.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 7, 2002
    Date of Patent: January 6, 2004
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Leslie Eugene Leeke, Sean Robert Keith, Lawrence Paul Timko
  • Patent number: 6609891
    Abstract: A hollow cooled turbine airfoil is provided having pressure and suction side walls and a plurality of trailing edge cooling passages that feed cooling air bleed slots at the trailing edge. The airfoil trailing edge is selectively thickened in the root portion so as to allow shortened trailing edge slots, thereby improving trailing edge cooling and reducing mechanical and thermal stresses.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 30, 2001
    Date of Patent: August 26, 2003
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Leslie Eugene Leeke, Sean Robert Keith, Ronald Eugene Mc Rae, Jr., Lawrence Paul Timko, David Alan Frey
  • Patent number: 6592330
    Abstract: A dovetail assembly including non-parallel relief faces that facilitates reduced pressure face brinelling in turbine engines. The assembly includes a plurality of rotor blades, each including a dovetail. Each dovetail includes at least a pair of blade tangs including blade relief faces. The dovetail assembly also includes a rotor disk including a plurality of dovetail slots, each sized to receive a dovetail. Each dovetail slot is defined by at least one pair of opposing disk tangs including disk relief faces. The disk relief faces are non-parallel to the blade relief faces when the dovetail is mounted in the dovetail slot.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 30, 2001
    Date of Patent: July 15, 2003
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Leslie Eugene Leeke, Sean Robert Keith, Ronald Eugene Mc Rae, Jr., Robert Ingram Ackerman, Richard William Albrecht, Jr.
  • Publication number: 20030129055
    Abstract: A turbine includes a row of blades each having an integral airfoil, platform, and dovetail. Each platform has opposite first and second side edges corresponding with the opposite pressure and suction sides of the airfoil. The platform first side edge is radially higher than the platform second side edge continuously between opposite forward and aft edges of the platform. In this way, adjacent platforms define a down step therebetween for preventing obstruction of combustion gases flowable downstream thereover.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 7, 2002
    Publication date: July 10, 2003
    Inventors: Leslie Eugene Leeke, Sean Robert Keith, Lawrence Paul Timko
  • Patent number: 6554575
    Abstract: A gas turbine engine blade includes pressure and suction sides extending between leading and trailing edges and root to tip. The pressure side includes a tip rib recessed therein to define a tip shelf terminating in an inclined ramp. The ramp may be aligned with streamlines of combustion gas flow for preventing interruption thereof and the increase of heat transfer therefrom.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 27, 2001
    Date of Patent: April 29, 2003
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Leslie Eugene Leeke, Sean Robert Keith, Ronald Eugene Mc Rae, Jr., Dean Thomas Lenahan, David Alan Frey, Daniel John Harris
  • Patent number: 6551062
    Abstract: A hollow cooled turbine airfoil is provided having pressure and suction side walls and a plurality of trailing edge cooling passages that feed cooling air bleed slots at the trailing edge. The suction side wall has a selectively reduced thickness, which allows shortened trailing edge slots, improving trailing edge cooling.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 30, 2001
    Date of Patent: April 22, 2003
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Leslie Eugene Leeke, Sean Robert Keith, Ronald Eugene McRae, Jr., Richard William Albrecht, Jr., David Alan Frey